In Jharkhand, 4 Members of Family Killed After Being Hit By Duronto Express

Four members of a family were killed after they were hit by Kolkata-Mumbai Duronto Express near Chakradharpur railway station in Jharkhand on Wednesday morning, the West Singhbhum Police said.

“The four were coming to Chakradharpur for some personal work from Badabamboo village. They were walking near the railway tracks. After reaching Binjai river, they were using the railway tracks to cross it and the Duronto Express hit them,” added a police officer.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) rushed to the accident site and recovered the bodies. “The bodies of the four victims have been sent for postmortem,” said a senior police officer stationed at the Chakradharpur railway station.

“Due to the impact, the body parts of the victims were spread in a radius of 300 meters,” added the officer.

The four victims have been identified as Sumi Purti,71, Amar Singh Purti, 21, Bama Purti, 19 and Jema Purti,18. Relatives of the deceased told the media that the four were going to Allahabad Bank in Chakradharpur to take out money.

According to villagers, hundreds of people risk their lives walking near or on the railway track to reach Chakradharpur from Badabamboo and nearby villages. “We risk our lives as walking along the railway line is the shortest and there are no other means of local commute,” said a villager who identified himself as Prem Tuti.

Tuti further added that before the first lockdown in March last year, several passenger trains halted at the Badabamboo station. “Since short distance passenger trains are not being operated by the railways, we are forced to go to Chakradharpur on foot along the railway line. In some places we are forced to walk on the tracks,” added Prem Tuti.

The locals had blocked the railway route for a few hours and blamed the railways and Chakradharpur municipal corporation responsible for the death of the four.

The villagers said they have been demanding an underpass near the Binjai river for a long time. “Earlier too, many people have been hit by trains. Animals come under trains regularly at the same spot. Due to lack of coordination of the railway and Chakradharpur Municipal Council officials, the proposal for an underpass is not being sanctioned,” said a villager.

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